Power of 10 in Placemaking

The “Placemaking” series of posts concentrates on ideas as well as financial and technical assistance to help revitalize public spaces.

In many rural communities, there are spaces that should be thriving. A downtown square with historic buildings, a park with good bones. In general, they may be good-looking and well cared for. But they still lack in activity and general interest. Residents and visitors may stop briefly, but they won’t linger. They won’t stick around, and without people sticking around, others are less likely to stop. The snowball of activity melts before it gets rolling.

The Power of 10+ rule reframes this problem; it is not so much the space itself, but the layers of everyday use.

What is the Power of 10+?

In placemaking, the Power of 10+ is one of those ideas that sounds simple, at least until you try to apply it. A concept made popular by the Project for Public Spaces, the concept is relatively straightforward.

Great places offer multiple reasons to be there.

A successful public space should have at least 10 reasons to be there. A great district should have ten strong places. A thriving community should have ten districts that matter. Is there a definitive list? No, but here are some examples based on what is suggested by the Project for Public Spaces:

• Places to sit
• Playgrounds for fun
• Shade from the sun
• Art in various forms
• Music to listen to
• Places to eat
• Historical and/or cultural aspects
• Spaces to meet people
• Place-related activities (kayak launches, fishing piers, etc)

But it’s not about hitting a specific number, it’s about shifting how we think about our spaces. Instead of asking, “What project do we need to complete?” The change of thinking that the Power of 10+ concept asks, “Why would anyone stay here?”

From One Thing to Many

Implementing the Power of 10+ starts small. It may be as simple as adding seating to a park. Then maybe a food truck shows up once a week, or someone organizes a small event. Nearby, a business adjusts its hours to match the new activity. None of these changes is impactful on its own, but together they begin to stack up.

Now there’s a reason to stop, to stay a little longer. There’s now more of a reason to come back next week. That’s how the Power of 10+ works, a gradual buildup of aspects that help define a place. There’s no specific checklist that works, just a gradual layering of fixtures, art, activity, and more that help turn a space into a desirable place.

Start With One Place

The Power of 10+ can be scaled to help an entire community, but it is best to start small. Pick a space and ask yourself a simple question: “How many real reasons are there to be here right now?” Not what’s planned or hoped for, but what actually exists and draws people in today.

If the answer to this question is two or three, that’s not a failure, but a starting point to make your places better. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” You don’t need to solve everything at once. You just need to add the next reason to stay, and then another. That’s how momentum around a space builds. It’s how placemaking can start becoming more impactful.

Why It Matters for Rural Communities

For rural communities, this approach is especially important where funds are tight and visibility of government activities is high. A town that invests in a placemaking project, only to see it underutilized, will be scrutinized. For an infrastructure project that can last decades, the criticism can last just as long.

The concept allows communities to start with what they have and make it incrementally better. It also lowers the risk on larger projects and builds confidence in your government’s actions.

Just as importantly, the refinement of space using the Power of 10+, keeps the focus on the use, not just the appearance of the space. A space doesn’t succeed because it looks good. It succeeds because people choose to spend time there.